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This document is provided
courtesy of the
American Contract Bridge League
2990 Airways Blvd.
S
Memphis TN 38116–3847
901–332–5586
S
Fax 901–398–7754
NOTE: to view the latest revision of the
handbook go to ACBL
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR CHAPTER 4 and 5 OF THE
HANDBOOK JANUARY 2000
INDEX FOR HANDBOOK CHAPTER 4 AND 5 JANUARY 2000
CHAPTER.4
THE CLUB SANCTIONED BRIDGE GAME
V. GAME
MOVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.16&17
A. Pair Movements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.17
1. Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.17
2. Howell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.17
B. Individual Movements. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.17
1. Rainbow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.17
2. Shomate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.17
C. Team Movements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.17
SECTION THREE: GENERAL CLUB
GAME REGULATIONS. . . CHAPTER.4 pg.17&18
I. MASTERPOINTS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
A. Net Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.18
B. Black Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
C. Silver Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
D. Red Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
E. Gold Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
F. Platinum Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.18
II. INCENTIVE PROGRAM
FOR CLUBS. . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
A. New Member Recruitment. . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
B. Newcomer Game Incentives. . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.18
C. Club Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.19
D. Reduced Price Memberships and Rates . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.19
E. Cooperative Advertising Program . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.19
III. GAME DIRECTOR. . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.19
A. Club Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.19&20
B. Non-playing Director. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.20
IV. OPERATION OF CLUB
GAMES. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.20
A. Systems and Conventions . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.20&21
B. Seeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.21
C. Margin for Ranking Finishers. . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.21
D. Cash Prizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.21
E. Cancellation of a Regular Session . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.22
F. Club Records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.22
G. Club Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.22&23
H. Disabled ACBL Members . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.23
I. Participation in Club Activities. . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.23
V. OTHER CLUB
INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24
A. Information for Travelers . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24
B. Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24
C. Club Supplies and Director Manuals. . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24
SECTION FOUR: CLUB
MASTERPOINT AWARDS . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24
I. CALCULATING
THE AWARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24
A. Open Game Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24
B. Invitational - Restricted Game Awards . . CHAPTER.4 pg.24&25
C. Newcomer Game Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.25
D. Bridge Plus Game Awards . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.25
E. Awards for Tied Positions . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.25
F. Overall Awards for Club Games with
two or More Sections. . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.25&26
1. Pair awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.26
2. Handicap games . . . . . .
. . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.26
3. Class uniformity . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.26
4. Number of positions. . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.26
G. Series Games for Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.26
H. Board-A-Match and Knockout Teams. . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.26
II. ISSUING THE
AWARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.27
A. Computerized Scoring. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.27
B. Non-Computerized Scoring. . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.27
SECTION FIVE:
CLASSIFICATION OF PLAYERS . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.27
I. HONOR TITLES
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.27&28
II. WALLET CARDS . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.28
III. MASTERPOINT RACES. . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.29
SECTION SIX: CLUB
CHAMPIONSHIPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS. .CHAPTER.4 pg.29
I. ALLOCATION
OF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SESSIONS
A. Weekly Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.29
B. Non-weekly Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.29
II. SCHEDULING CLUB
CHAMPIONSHIPS. . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.29
A. Calendar Quarters Scheduling. . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.29
B. Playing Site Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.30
C. Playing Time Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.30
D. Two-Session Club Championships. . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.30
E. Regular Game With Different Club
Championship Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.30
F. Schedule Conflicts. . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.30
G. Back-to-Back Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.31
III. TYPES OF EVENTS. . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.31
IV. SEEDING. . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.31
V. AWARDS . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.31
A. Awards to Members, New Members
or Non-Members by ACBL. . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.31&32
B. Computation of Club Championship Awards . . CHAPTER.4 pg.32
1. Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.32
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 17)
___________________
V. GAME MOVEMENTS
A movement is the method of progression during
the game, indicating the
seat to be occupied and the boards to be played
by each player at each
round. (For further information on movements,
please contact the ACBL
Club Membership Department.)
A. PAIR MOVEMENTS
A club may conduct pair games of any legal
size (two-and-one-half or
more tables) using either Howell or Mitchell
movements When 14 or more
tables are in play, it is permissible to split
the game into two
sections, with each section containing at
least seven tables.
(Duplicated boards are desirable but not
mandatory.)
The most commonly used pair movements are:
MITCHELL: This movement keeps the pairs in two
groups, N-S and E-W, with
the aim of having all N-S pairs meeting all
E-W pairs and playing all
the boards. Typically the boards move one
table lower and the players
one table higher each round. There is a
winner for each section for
both the N-S and E-W pairs with the highest
score.
HOWELL: This movement produces one winner from
a field in which all
pairs play each of the boards in play, with
comparison in direct
competition with other pairs on approximately
half of the boards, and
adverse comparison on the other boards.
B. INDIVIDUAL MOVEMENTS
A club may run individual games (two or more
tables) with either Rainbow
or Shomate movements:
RAINBOW: This is a movement in which
contestants are divided into groups
corresponding to their original starting
directions, with separate
instructions for progressing to each group.
SHOMATE: This movement (also called an
irregular rainbow) does not keep
the players in a particular group, thus
allowing comparison across the
field.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 18)
___________________
C. TEAM MOVEMENTS
A board-a-match team game can be run with a
regular board-a-match
movement, a Mirror movement, or any other
approved movement. (SEE
CHAPTER.4, Section Seven for information on
team events and team
movements.)
SECTION THREE: GENERAL CLUB GAME REGULATIONS
I. MASTERPOINTS
The sanctioned duplicate game awards
masterpoints to approximately 40% of
the contestants in each session. The number of
masterpoints the game
awards depends on the number of tables in play
and the conditions under
which the club conducts the game. The club
must send to ACBL a monthly
Club Masterpoint Report and ACBL issues these
points directly to the
player. A club's failure to issue the
certificates or submit the report
can result in the suspension or loss of its
sanction.
Masterpoints won in club games are as important
as those won in any type
of tournament. All masterpoints carry about
the same weight in the ACBL
ranking system.
The level of competition of events in which
masterpoints are won is
denoted by four color variations: black,
silver, red, and gold.
A. NET POINTS
Netpoints are awarded for online play and are
colorless.
B. BLACK POINTS
Masterpoints won in events not qualifying for
red, silver, or gold are
black points. Sanctioned club games and Unit
games award black points.
C. SILVER POINTS
Silver points are awarded for events at
sectional tournaments, including
newcomer games and side events. Progressive
Sectionals and Sectional
Tournaments at Clubs also award silver points
(SEE Chapter 6).
D. RED POINTS
Regional tournaments and regional events at
NABCS award red points
except for overall and section tops (SEE Gold
Points below). Grand
National Teams (GNT) EVENTS and North American
Pairs (NAP) events afford
players the opportunity to earn red points at
their local clubs (SEE
Chapter 6).
E. GOLD POINTS
Gold points are awarded for overall placings
and section tops in
regional and NABC events where the top
masterpoint limit is at least
750. Gold points may be given for special
games, such as the Instant
Matchpoint Game, Grand National Team and North
American Pair events (SEE
Chapter 6).
F. PLATINUM POINTS
Platinum points are awarded for NABC+ events
and included the
national-rated senior and women's events with
no upper masterpoint limit
but not the junior, flight B, or other
restricted events.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 19)
___________________
II. INCENTIVE PROGRAMS FOR CLUBS
A. NEW MEMBER RECRUITMENT
Clubs can earn an upgraded club championship
(sectional rated black
points) by recruiting 10 new members. The 10
new members need not be
recruited within any specific time period (for
example, you could
recruit three new members in 1996, four in
1997 and three more in 1998).
The club manager will be notified when the
club has recruited 10 new
members and will be sent a report form for
this game. Payment will be
made on the monthly report at the same rate as
regular club games.
Points will be issued by ACBL.
A maximum of two upgraded club championship
games per session may be
held in one calendar year.
B. NEWCOMER GAME INCENTIVES
Clubs holding newcomer games (an upper
masterpoint limit of not more
than 20) at the same time as an open,
invitational or restricted game
may include the newcomer game tables when
computing awards for the open,
masterpoint restricted or invitational game.
If a club chooses to run a flighted game,
tables in any restricted
sections count toward club masterpoint awards
for any unrestricted
section in play at that club during that
session, (subject to the usual
restriction for a rating point game, that the
maximum awarded shall be
1.50). If there are two or more unrestricted
sections, they shall share
the credit for any other tables equally.
C. CLUB HIGHLIGHTS
ACBL is always interested in passing along
helpful hints on club
operations. If you have a program you believe
would be useful for other
clubs, send the idea(s) to us and we will
consider publishing it in the
BRIDGE BULLETIN.
D. REDUCED PRICE MEMBERSHIP AND RATES
Club officials can offer a reduced price
one-year membership to new
members. If an applicant is found to have
been a member previously, the
membership fee will be pro-rated over a
6-month membership.
In addition, the club officials submitting the
application and fee will
be eligible for the rebate on each reduced
price membership. If this
member renews for the full price before
expiration of the grace period
at the end of the reduced price membership,
the club official will be
eligible for a second rebate. A third rebate
is earned if the player
renews for another years. A $50 gift
certificate for the ACBL store
will be earned for every 25 new members
recruited by the club official
in a calendar year. Only club officials
submitting their Social
Security number or Tax Identification number
with the application will
be eligible for rebates and certificates.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 20)
___________________
E. COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING PROGRAM
ACBL will subsidize teachers, clubs and units
who wish to use
advertising to recruit students for bridge
lessons or to promote the
game. This subsidy will be 50% of the cost of
the advertising program
up to a maximum of $250 per program per
calendar year. Eligible media
are radio, television, newspapers, magazines,
direct mail, outdoor,
yellow pages, flyers, handbills and statement
stuffers. Contact the
ACBL Membership Assistance Department for
further information.
III. GAME DIRECTOR
The person who actually conducts the games in a
club is the director.
The director can be the club owner, the club
manager, an employee of the
club, or an independent director hired for the
sole purpose of directing
the game. It is advantageous to a club to have
a director who is known
and respected by the patrons.
All club games must be directed by Club or
higher rated directors. ACBL
regulations permit the use of a different
director for every session.
A. CLUB DIRECTOR
To become a Club director one must pass a
written examination. A
prospective director who wishes to take the
examination must contact
ACBL. ACBL then sends the examination to an
appointed monitor for
administration. To take the examination, the
examinee must pay a fee to
the monitor. The monitor retains a portion of
the fee and sends the
remainder to ACBL along with the completed
examination.
While taking the test, the examinee may use
any written material
available. Examinees should have the LAWS OF
DUPLICATE CONTRACT BRIDGE,
the ACBL HANDBOOK OF RULES AND REGULATIONS,
and a good director's manual
at hand during the examination.
Study packets are available through the ACBL
Sales Department. You may
order and charge these on your credit card by
calling 1-800-264-2743 in
the U.S. and 1-800-264-8786 in Canada. The
packet contains sample
questions and other information pertinent to
the exam.
On completion, the monitor returns the test to
the ACBL Club Membership
Department for grading. Please allow at least
14 days for grading the
examination. ACBL sends cards to those who
pass the examination.
Applicants failing the exam are notified by
letter of areas to study to
prepare for retaking the exam.
B. NON-PLAYING DIRECTOR
It is preferable for a game to have a
non-playing director. A
non-playing director can give more objective
rulings concerning disputes
and infractions of bridge laws and regulations
than one who is
personally involved in the session. Even when
no rulings are called
for, the non-playing director can give more
attention to maintaining the
quality of the game. Some special games
require a non-playing Club or
higher rated director.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 21)
___________________
Non-playing directors are encouraged but not
required for games having
not more than one section of 17 tables or less
for the following special
events held at clubs or units: ACBL-wide
International Fund Games,
ACBL-wide Charity Games, Junior Fund Games,
Senior Pairs, World-wide
Pairs, ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint Games,
Membership Games, NABC Fund
Raisers, GNT Fund Raisers, Club Appreciation
Games, Sectional Tournament
at Clubs (STaC) games, the Canadian Olympiad,
the COPC, the CNTC, the
North American Open Pair Club and Unit
Qualifying stages, the North
American 49er Pairs the Grand National Team (GNT)
Club and Unit
Qualifying stages, Unit Championships and Unit
Charity Championships.
IV. OPERATION OF CLUB GAMES
ACBL grants a club game sanction on the
condition that the club conduct
all game sessions in full compliance with ACBL
regulations. These
regulations help maintain the technical level
of all games and ensure
that masterpoints are issued under
approximately equal conditions
everywhere. To retain a sanction, the sanction
holder and the club
manager must observe both the letter and the
spirit of ACBL regulations.
However, the regulations that follow are not
meant to be restrictive.
Within the limits they establish, there is
ample room for the development
of innovative, imaginative programs and
services for club patrons.
A. SYSTEMS AND CONVENTIONS
ACBL retains the right to approve or
disapprove any bidding or defensive
carding (lead or discard signal) convention
for general use in
ACBL-sanctioned games. In exercising this
right, ACBL has established
convention charts that list conventions
permitted in games having
varying degrees of difficulty (SEE Appendix
A).
A club manager can bar or allow specific
conventions and can bar certain
conventions in newcomer games but allow them
in open games. The types
of events for which this applies are club
masterpoint games, club
championships, club charity events, ACBL-wide
events, unit
championships, unit charity events, district
charity events, and the
first level of play in the North American
Pairs event. The Alert
procedure and the skip bid announcement are
procedures used in
tournaments and are optional (and strongly
encouraged) in club games.
When masterpoints are awarded for overall
positions in several
locations, such as unit-wide games, STaCs,
etc., all conventions in the
ACBL General Convention Chart must be allowed
unless the conditions of
contest specify otherwise. Use of the Alert
procedure is mandatory, and
the rules that govern skip bid announcements
are applicable.
Occasionally special games, such as the GNT
event, may be held in clubs.
In such a case the club manager must check the
conditions of contest to
be sure to conduct the game in conformity with
the rules.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 22)
___________________
ACBL recommends that clubs which are inclined
to permit patrons to test
new or little known conventions or systems
restrict such testing to one
of several scheduled game sessions. If
experience indicates that the
majority of the club players welcome this
policy, it can be extended
easily to other sessions. In any case,
players must have the approval
of the director before using any convention
not specifically authorized.
ACBL recommends that each club post a list of
approved conventions in a
conspicuous place on its premises.
B. SEEDING
Seeding means specifically seating strong
pairs (or weak pairs) in a
manner relative to the movement, so that every
contestant plays against
a group of opponents of approximately the same
strength. In a
one-section event, both directions should be
balanced. In a
multi-section event, all fields should be
balanced. In two-session
events, the balance should be maintained for
both sessions.
If there is an active effort to seat all
strong pairs in one direction
and the weak pairs in the other, the session
must be classified as an
invitational/restricted game. Further, if all
strong pairs are seated
in one section and all weak pairs in another,
the strong section
qualifies as open, and the other section
becomes
restricted/invitational.
Seeding is not mandatory for any regular
masterpoint games. All seating
may be random by luck of the draw or on a
first-come, first-served
basis.
C. MARGIN FOR RANKING FINISHERS
Score adjustments, carryovers and raw scores
will be rounded to two
decimal places, with .01 constituting a margin
of separation for ranking
and masterpoints. Any margin between
contestants will be sufficient
separation for purposes of qualification.
D. CASH PRIZES
Many clubs consider the club masterpoints
awarded to winners as
sufficient prizes. However, some clubs award
free plays to future club
events to winning players. A few clubs award
suitable prizes such as
ACBL scrip, trophies, or cash. When
masterpoints are awarded, cash
prizes are not subject to any restrictions.
E. CANCELLATION OF A REGULAR GAME SESSION
Clubs must hold regularly sanctioned game
sessions as provided on its
approved application. A club may not change a
regularly sanctioned game
session to a different day or time, even
temporarily, without prior ACBL
approval.
A club may cancel a regularly scheduled game
session because of:
- Unusual weather such as a snowstorm,
hurricane, or tornado alert
- A conflict with a higher rated event
(optional - not required)
- Holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence
Day, Thanksgiving, New
Year's Day, and Christmas and other
religious holidays
- Not enough tables for a legal game
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 22)
___________________
- In Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda, all
statutory holidays, as well as
local, provincial, and national holidays
There are no game or table fees for sessions
canceled for an approved
reason. The club must note the reason for a
cancellation on the Monthly
Report Form. A club may not make up canceled
games.
F. CLUB RECORDS
The club must post recap sheets for each game
no later than the next
session of that game. Travelers, if used,
must be available for player
review through the next session of that game.
The club must retain the
recap sheets for at least three months. For
club championships, the
club must retain the recap sheets for at least
six months. A club
should retain game records or copies of the
report for special events
until the players receive the appropriate
awards from ACBL.
G. CLUB DISCIPLINE
Club management should deal promptly and
fairly with all cases of
improper conduct that occur during an ACBL-sanctioned
masterpoint game
in the club, including cases of unethical
practices. The club manager
should either handle these situations
personally or establish a standing
committee to review all disciplinary problems.
Clubs holding
non-sanctioned games may deal with problems
arising in these games as
they see fit.
The club manager can handle many behavior
problems by discussing them
with the offenders, by issuing a warning, or
declaring a period of
probation. In extreme cases or cases of
repeat offenses, the manager
can bar the player from the club game for a
stipulated period of time,
or permanently.
To bar a player, club management must notify
the player in writing and
send a copy of the notification to the ACBL
Club Membership Department.
The notification must include the player's
name and player number and
the reason for the barring.
An open club game cannot bar players as a
class or because of their
religion, political affiliation, race,
national origin, physical
handicap, sexual orientation or proficiency at
bridge. Club management
can exclude an incompatible partnership as a
pair while allowing each to
play with other partners.
Unless a player's ACBL membership has been
suspended or terminated by a
unit, a district, or ACBL, a club cannot bar a
player from participating
in Grand National Teams or North American Pair
events. It also cannot
bar a player from other clubs, sectional
tournaments held at the club,
unit or district competitions, such as unit
championships, charity
games, IMP games, and unit-or district-wide
championships, even when
these games are played in a club that has
barred the player from normal
club activities. Neither can the club place
partnership restrictions on
such players for these events unless the unit,
district, or ACBL first
imposes them.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 24)
___________________
An open club can bar players from its regular
club masterpoint games,
membership games, ACBL-wide games, club
championships, charity and
international fund club championships, and
other special events
specifically allocated to clubs as outlined
above.
Tact is necessary when notifying a player that
he or she is barred from
an open game. It is not necessary that the
player be brought before a
committee or be granted a public hearing. The
player should be told
privately by the club management and should be
given the reason for the
exclusion.
If the player feels that his or her barring
does not comply with these
regulations prohibiting barring players as a
class, their religious or
political affiliations, race, national origin,
physical disability, or
their bridge proficiency, he or she may appeal
the barring sequentially
to the unit board, the district, and the ACBL
Board of Directors. Until
the appeal is lodged and heard, the player
remains barred unless
reinstated by the club.
H. DISABLED ACBL MEMBERS
An ACBL-sanctioned club game should make every
reasonable effort to
enable a physically disabled member to
participate. The overriding
philosophy is to accommodate the handicapped
individual as long as such
accommodation does not unreasonably
disadvantage a substantial portion
of the other players affected. The club
should allow such players to
use special equipment, such as card holders,
bidding boxes, special
playing cards (contact the ACBL Tournament
Department for the approval
policy for special playing cards), etc. The
club should also
accommodate such an individual when the
handicap requires special
seating such as a stationary position.
I. PARTICIPATION IN CLUB ACTIVITIES
To stimulate participation, a club may require
that players participate
in a specified number of previously held club
masterpoint sessions to be
eligible to play in its club championships.
The participation
requirement must be fully publicized in
advance. A club may not impose
participation requirements on events that have
a sectional or higher
rating; for example GNT, NAP, or ACBL-wide
events. A club may not
impose this requirement on events sanctioned
to units, even though the
games may be played in the club.
Visitors may be allowed to play in club
championships without having met
the participation requirement. The term
visitor is defined by the
governing body of the club and must be
properly publicized.
V. OTHER CLUB INFORMATION
A. INFORMATION FOR TRAVELERS
ACBL members who intend to travel to other
cities and want to play
bridge in those locations can contact ACBL by
telephone (901-332-5586
ext. 223) to get information for specific
areas. There is also a
listing (updated monthly) of bridge clubs on
the ACBL home page on the
internet <http://www.acbl.org>.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 25)
___________________
B. INSURANCE
Liability insurance is available for a fee to
a club holding sanctioned
games. Contact the ACBL Club Membership
department for more
information.
C. CLUB SUPPLIES AND DIRECTOR MANUALS
The ACBL Sales Department sells the supplies
necessary for all types of
tournaments and club games. A sales catalog
is mailed each year to
every club with their packet of supplies.
Call 1-800-264-2743 (U.S.) or
1-800-264-8786 (Canada) for further
information.
SECTION FOUR: CLUB MASTERPOINT AWARDS
The size or denomination of a masterpoint award
is determined by a
formula that takes into account the level of
competition and the number
of tables. The club manager or the manager's
authorized designee either
sends monthly Club Masterpoint Reports to ACBL
for members who have won
masterpoint awards.
I. CALCULATING THE AWARDS
Section awards for all games (open,
invitational, restricted and
newcomer) are based on the number of pairs,
teams or individuals in each
group. For example, an 8-table Mitchell
movement is two groups of 8
pairs. A 5-table Howell movement is one group
of 10 pairs. In a
Mitchell movement, a 1/2 table will be treated
as though it were a full
table. For example, 7 1/2 tables would be 8
pairs in each group while a
5 1/2 table Howell is 11 pairs in the
comparison group. Depth of awards
is 40% times the number of pairs in the
comparison group, rounded to the
nearest whole number with .5 rounded up. For
overall awards 1/2 table is
counted as a full table.
A. OPEN GAME AWARDS
Open games (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section Two-I.)
award .10 MP per table for
first place in each group. The second place
award is 70% of 1st, third
is 50% of 1st, fourth is 35%, fifth is 1/5 and
sixth is 1/6, etc. This
applies to all open sections for pair, and
individual games. Maximum
award is 1.50 masterpoints. (SEE Files MPPAIRS)
B. INVITATIONAL - RESTRICTED AWARDS
Invitational clubs (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section
Two-II.) award .08
masterpoint per pair for first place in each
group. Other placements
are based on the same percentages as for Open
clubs. The maximum award
is 1.20 masterpoints. The same awards are
used for men's/women's,
mixed, pro-am and senior games in both Open
and Invitational clubs.
Awards for first place (per pair) in
masterpoint restricted games are as
follows: Ranges between
0 - 20 MP =
.05
0 - 100 MP =
.06
0 - 200 MP =
.07
0 - to any masterpoint restriction
greater than 200 = .08
Stratified pairs may be conducted with two or
three strata. The lowest
stratum may have any upper masterpoint
limitation suitable for a club.
The lowest stratum must have at least five
pairs. (SEE File MPPAIRS)
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 26)
___________________
C. NEWCOMER GAME AWARDS
First place section awards for Newcomer games
per pair in each group
are:
Ranges between
0 - 5 = .03
0 - 10 = .04
0 - 20 = .05
Other placements are based on the same
percentages as for Open clubs.
The maximum award is 1.00 masterpoint. (SEE
Files MPPAIRS, MPSWISS AND
MPKOS.)
D. BRIDGE PLUS GAME AWARDS
Award .03 per pair for first place. Other
placements are based on the
same percentages as for Open clubs. Maximum
Award is .50 masterpoint.
(SEE File MPPAIRS.)
E. AWARDS FOR TIED POSITIONS
When two pairs tie for the same position, the
appropriate individual
masterpoint awards are determined by adding
the masterpoints for that
position and the next lower position; the
members of each pair then
receive half of that total. If three pairs
tie for a position, the
masterpoints for that position and the next
two lower positions are
added, and the members of each pair receive
one-third of that total. In
the unlikely event that four or more pairs tie
for the same position,
this mathematical procedure continues to the
appropriate level to
determine the masterpoint awards for the
members of each pair.
When there is a two-way tie for the last
position awarding masterpoints,
the next lower award is calculated. This is
added to the last place
award, and the sum is divided between the two
pairs.
F. OVERALL AWARDS FOR CLUB GAMES WITH TWO OR
MORE SECTIONS
Club games with more than one section may
issue overall awards comparing
all the sections. Awards may not exceed 1.50
for Open clubs, 1.20 for
Invitational clubs and 1.00 for Newcomer
clubs. Second place would be
75% of first, third 75% of second, etc.
through a maximum of six places.
For example, for an open club:
Section A = 9
tables
Section B = 10
tables
19 x .10 = 1.90 reduced to 1.50
for first place
2nd place = 75% of 1.50
= 1.13
3rd place = 75% of 1.13
= .84
4th place = 75% of .84
= .63
PAIR AWARDS: Pairs receive their section
awards or the overall award,
whichever is greater, but not both. For
example, a pair whose section
award was 0.50 and whose overall award was
0.65 would be credited with
0.65 masterpoints.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 27)
___________________
HANDICAP GAMES: Pair and maximum award
regulations also apply to
handicap games. An exception would occur if a
pair earns only a section
award in the raw score computation and earns
an overall award in the
handicap score. In this case the two would be
added together.
CLASS UNIFORMITY: Pair and maximum award
regulations apply only when
both sections are of the same class.
NUMBER OF POSITIONS: Overall awards may not
exceed six positions.
G. SERIES GAMES FOR CLUBS
For Series games in clubs, four or more game
sessions are required. The
masterpoint bonus to the winning player shall
equal .02 times the number
of tables in play for all games in which he or
she participated. This
bonus cannot exceed 1.5 masterpoints for an
open game or 1.2
masterpoints for an invitational game. Second
place earns 75% of the
award for first and third place earns 75% of
the second place award.
Clubs may use their own methodology for
determining winners.
Examples are:
a. The number of masterpoints earned at
the series games
b. The best percentage score for all
series games
c. Award 4,3,2,1 for 1st through 4th place
scores for each game and
total such awards for the series to
determine the winning
individuals
The club manager may specify a minimum number
of game sessions played to
be eligible.
Clubs may wish to consider a proviso that
eligibility requires
participation with a minimum of two or more
different partners.
H. BOARD-A-MATCH AND KNOCKOUT TEAMS
Awards for board-a-match teams are 110% of
awards for pair games.
Awards for knockout teams with three or more
sessions can be found in
the file MPKOS. All match awards should be
issued from the match award
charts. (SEE File MPKOS.)
II. ISSUING THE AWARDS
ACBL issues all masterpoint awards to ACBL
members. Clubs must report
masterpoints won by its players on a monthly
basis. Clubs using
ACBLscore can report the masterpoints to ACBL
electronically, while clubs
not using ACBLscore must send their results to
ACBL on the masterpoint
report form.
Masterpoint receipts should be given to new
players who are not members
of ACBL and never have been, and to anyone else
requesting them on a
monthly basis.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 28)
___________________
A. COMPUTERIZED SCORING
For scoring club games and maintaining
financial and masterpoint
records, clubs (and units) can use ACBLscore,
a software program
available from the ACBL Club Membership
Department. This program can
score any type of pair, individual, or team
movement and perform all the
computations necessary for running a duplicate
game. For example,
ACBLscore can keep track of games, game sizes,
and masterpoints won by
individuals over any period of time. It can
print mailing labels and
produce a report (printout or diskette) of all
ACBL members who have won
masterpoints in the club in any given month.
To use ACBLscore, a club must have an
IBM-compatible computer with a
hard drive and a minimum of 640k RAM and a
track-feed printer.
B. NON-COMPUTERIZED SCORING
Clubs not using ACBLscore must track the
masterpoints won by their
players and report them to ACBL on a monthly
basis. ACBL provides these
clubs with masterpoint reporting forms and
club masterpoint receipts.
SECTION FIVE: CLASSIFICATION OF PLAYERS
ACBL's masterpoint plan appeals to members
because it permits members to
know their approximate overall ranking relative
to that of every other
member. Although a complete listing of the
large number of ACBL members
is impractical, the honor titles that members
earn as they achieve
various plateaus of masterpoint holdings serve
as close approximations of
their overall standing. Lists of the top
players in some categories and
masterpoint races are published in THE BRIDGE
BULLETIN each year.
I. HONOR TITLES
The honor titles and the masterpoints players
must acquire to gain them
are:
- ROOKIE-an ACBL member who has fewer than 5
full masterpoints recorded
by the ACBL.
- JUNIOR MASTER-a member who has at least 5
but fewer than 20
masterpoints recorded by ACBL. A Junior
Master is eligible for most
newcomer events.
- CLUB MASTER-a member who has at least 20 but
fewer than 50 masterpoints
recorded by ACBL.
- SECTIONAL MASTER-a member who has at least
50 but fewer than 100
master-points recorded by ACBL, of which 5
must be silver.
- REGIONAL MASTER-a member who has at least
100 masterpoints recorded by
ACBL, of which 15 must be silver and 5 must
be red or gold.
- NABC MASTER-a member who has at least 200
masterpoints recorded by
ACBL, of which 50 must be pigmented, with at
least 5 gold, 15 red or
gold, and 25 silver.
- LIFE MASTER-a member who has 300 or more
masterpoints recorded by the
ACBL, of which 100 must be pigmented, with
50 silver, 25 gold, and 25
red or gold. A member who held no red
masterpoints or fraction thereof
prior to January 1, 1969, is required to
possess at least 50 red and
gold masterpoints, of which at least 25 must
be gold. Any new member
or player in an inactive status for six
months or more after January 1,
1999 will be required to earn 50 black
points to become a Life Master.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 29)
___________________
- GOLDEN AGE MASTER-a member who is age 70 or
older and has at least 300
masterpoints of any color recorded by ACBL,
or a member who is at least
80 years old and has at least 100
masterpoints of any color recorded by
ACBL. On application to ACBL, an eligible
member will be designated
Golden Age Master and sent an appropriate
certificate and wallet card.
- BRONZE LIFE MASTER-a Life Master who has at
least 500 masterpoints
recorded by ACBL.
- SILVER LIFE MASTER-a Life Master who has at
least 1,000 masterpoints
recorded by ACBL.
- GOLD LIFE MASTER-a Life Master who has at
least 2,500 masterpoints
recorded by ACBL.
- DIAMOND LIFE MASTER-a Life Master who has at
least 5,000 masterpoints
recorded by ACBL.
- GRAND LIFE MASTER-a Life Master who has at
least 10,000 masterpoints
and has won a North American Bridge
Championship with no upper
masterpoint restriction or an Open Team
Trials or its equivalent or a
Women's Team Trials or its equivalent or any
of the following WBF
events: Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, Rosenblum
Cup, McConnell Cup, Open
Pairs, Women's Pairs, Olympiad, Women's Team
Olympiad, Mixed Pairs
prior to 1990 or Mixed Teams prior to 1990.
II. WALLET CARDS
When members graduate from the rank of Rookie
and are entitled to the
honor title of Junior Master, they receive
appropriate wallet cards from
ACBL. The cards identify players as ACBL
members with sufficient skill
and experience to be titled Junior Master.
Junior Master players may use
this title as long as they are members in good
standing or until they
earn the right to a higher ranking title.
When members who have earned the rank of Junior
Master advance to the
next plateau, they again receive wallet cards
designating their new
status. Golden Age Master wallet cards are
sent when requested by a
district, unit, or club official.
This step-by-step recognition continues until
the members receive the
title of Life Master. Then ACBL awards them
Gold Cards (gold colored),
which announce that they are Life Masters of
the American Contract Bridge
League. ACBL also sends these members Life
Master Certificates.
III. MASTERPOINT RACES
ACBL gives official recognition to the winner(s)
of the most masterpoints
in a calendar year by members in several
different categories. These
masterpoint races include the ACE OF CLUBS,
where recognition is given to
players through the rank of Grand Life master
who earn the most
masterpoints in club games, and the MINI-MCKENNEY,
where players in each
masterpoint category who win the most
masterpoints are recognized. ACBL
also keeps a record of the MINI-MCKENNEY
winners for each unit.
SENIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR, YOUTH PLAYER OF THE
YEAR, JUNIOR PLAYER OF THE
YEAR, SECTIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR,
CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER OF THE YEAR,
BARRY CRANE TOP 500, and ANNUAL TOP 100 for
each of the Bronze, Silver,
and Gold Life Master categories are the other
masterpoint races
recognized by ACBL.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 30)
___________________
SECTION SIX: CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS AND SPECIAL
EVENTS
Every club that conducts its sanctioned games
in full compliance with
ACBL regulations is entitled to a number of
annual club championship
games. The number of such games depends on the
number of regular games
the club holds.
When a club conducts two or more levels of play
at the same time (for
example, open and newcomer games), it must
conduct its club championships
for all levels simultaneously.
I. ALLOCATION OF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
SESSIONS
A. WEEKLY CLUBS
Each regularly scheduled weekly game is
entitled to four club
championship sessions per year. These may be
scheduled as four
one-session club championships, two
one-session championships and one
two-session championship, or two two-session
championships (SEE
CHAPTER.4, Section Six-II.C and Six-II.D).
B. NON-WEEKLY CLUBS
A regularly scheduled club game held at a
frequency other than weekly is
entitled to one session with club championship
rating for each 12
meetings of its regular game. In all other
respects, ACBL regulations
for the use of the club championship sessions
by non-weekly games are
the same as they are for weekly games.
II. SCHEDULING CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
When scheduling club championships a club must
comply with a number of
ACBL regulations.
A. CALENDAR QUARTERS SCHEDULING
A club must hold each of the four club
championship sessions for one
weekly game during a different calendar
quarter of the year, except for
an event it conducts in two sessions. A club
may not carry over a club
championship from one year to the next for the
purpose of conducting a
two-session event (SEE D. following).
B. PLAYING SITE CHANGES
A club may change the playing site of a club
championship session from
that of its regular game to accommodate
increased attendance or the
serving of refreshments. To change the site
the club must obtain prior
written approval from the unit that has
jurisdiction over the area in
which the championship is to be held.
C. PLAYING TIME CHANGES
Once a year a club may hold a one or
two-session club championship at a
time other than that of the game it
represents. To do so, the club must
obtain written permission from all other clubs
holding sanctioned games
within a 25-mile radius that hold games on
that day of the week.
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 31)
___________________
D. TWO-SESSION CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
Conducting a two-session club championship
uses two of the four
quarterly club championships allocated for the
year, whether they are
played in two consecutive sessions in
different quarters (last session
of the quarter and first session of the next
quarter) or in one quarter
(afternoon-evening play-through). For
example, a club game sanctioned
for Saturday afternoon may operate a
two-session club championship on
two consecutive Saturday afternoons. When the
consecutive days fall in
the same calendar quarter, the club must forgo
a championship event in
some other quarter.
Once a year a club may schedule a two-session
event on a day other than
that for which it is sanctioned. For example,
a club sanctioned for a
Wednesday session may conduct the two-session
event on Saturday
afternoon and evening. The club must obtain
written approval from all
other Saturday clubs within a 25-mile radius,
even if the club is itself
sanctioned for either Saturday afternoon or
Saturday evening. The club
must forgo a club championship event in
another calendar quarter if it
makes use of this option.
If a club is sanctioned for Saturday afternoon
and evening, it could
hold a two session club championship all in
one day. One club
championship session would be charged against
each sanctioned game
session.
E. REGULAR GAME WITH DIFFERENT CLUB
CHAMPIONSHIP TIME
If a club holds its club championship on a day
for which it is not
sanctioned to hold its regular sessions, and
it has the written
permission of other clubs holding sessions at
that time, it may still
hold a club masterpoint game on its regular
day. The club must note the
occurrence of both games on the Monthly Report
Form, attach all written
permissions to it, and submit appropriate
payment with the form.
F. SCHEDULE CONFLICTS
A club may not conduct a club championship
when a sectional or
higher-rated event is in progress within 25
miles of the playing site.
At its discretion, however, the club may hold
its regularly scheduled
club masterpoint games while a higher-rated
event is taking place in the
community (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section Four, IV.E
for rules on allowable
cancellation of club games).
G. BACK-TO-BACK PLAN
In areas in which two or more clubs are
sanctioned to hold games
simultaneously, attendance at some clubs may
drop if one of the clubs
stages a club championship. To prevent this,
the unit having
jurisdiction may adopt and enforce a
back-to-back plan, under which all
clubs in the playing area holding games during
the same session must
schedule their club championships in direct
competition with each other.
Use of this plan is optional with the unit.
III. TYPES OF EVENTS
A club may conduct a club championship as any
type of standard
individual, pair, or team event. An individual
event can be run so that
each compass direction is a distinct comparison
group or can be run as an
open individual (SEE Section Two-V).
CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 32)
___________________
Pair or team events can be run as regular open
events (may be stratified
or handicapped), or with the following gender,
masterpoint, or age
restrictions:
- MEN'S PAIRS/TEAMS-all participants must be
male.
- WOMEN'S PAIRS/TEAMS-all participants must be
female.
- MIXED PAIRS/TEAMS-all pairs must be composed
of one male and one female
player.
- UNMIXED PAIRS/TEAMS-all pairs/teams must
contain either two male or two
female players.
- MASTER PAIRS/TEAMS-at least one member of
each pair/team must have a
minimum number of masterpoints.
- NON-MASTER PAIRS/TEAMS-all players must have
fewer than a specified
number of masterpoints.
- JUNIOR PAIRS/TEAMS-all players must be under
26 years of age.
- SENIOR PAIRS/TEAMS-all players must be 55
years of age or older.
IV. SEEDING
Regular masterpoint games generally are not
seeded, but all events with
club championship or higher rating should be
seeded. For example, club
charity championships, International Fund club
championships, membership
tournaments, ACBL-wide, district-wide, and
unit-wide games should be
seeded (SEE Section Three-IV,B).
A club seeding committee or the game director
usually seeds club
championships, normally at the time the entries
are sold.
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Part 3 - page 33-51 |
